India, Jan. 13 -- Most Indian homes know this scene. It is late at night. The TV is still on. One person is snoring loudly. The family laughs. Someone records a video on their phone and shares it on the family WhatsApp group.

For many people, snoring is still a joke.

For doctors, it is often the first warning sign that the body is struggling to breathe during sleep.

In the last few years, surveyshave shown that a large share of Indians are sleeping less than 6 hours a night.

At the same time, Indian and global studies suggest that a very large number of people in the country may be living with an undiagnosed sleep issue commonly called sleep apnea. Yet very few have ever spoken to a doctor about snoring, choking at night or feeling sl...